ROBERT FISKWar, Journalism, and the Middle Eastvirus368 (2006) CD - $12.00
Animated and impassioned, internationally-renowned reporter Robert Fisk, discusses the realities, risks, and rewards of his work. With unparalleled access to history-makers in the region, Fisk recounts the rise of Hizbollah, the West's military involvement in the Middle East, his interviews with Osama Bin Laden, and the growing Iraqi insurgency. The audio program includes a lecture from Robert Fisk and an interview conducted by acclaimed radio host, David Barsamian on Lebanese politics after Rafik Hariri's assassination.

Also included is a printed booklet containing excerpts from a panel discussion with Fisk, in April of 2006, discussing developments in the Middle East and the West's efforts to stop the destruction. In addition, famed journalist Greg Palast comments on the importance of Fisk's reporting.

Robert Fisk is a two-time recipient of the Amnesty International UK Press Award and seven-time winner of the British International Journalist of the Year Award. He has lived in and reported on the Middle East for over 20 years and is currently a foreign correspondent for The Independent.

"This highly respected English journalist has lived in the Middle East for years, reported about it in 'The Independent' newspaper and written a detailed book explaining the history of Lebanon. Few know the area as well as he does. He seems somewhat self-righteous, but his insights and observations are top-notch. My grade: A."- KPFT

"British journalist Robert Fisk has been living in and writing about the Middle East since the mid-'70s, and since 2003 has been covering the War in Iraq the hard way -- by making his way into the war zone, combing through the rubble of the battlefields and talking to soldiers and military leaders on both sides of the political divide. (Fisk is one of the only Western journalists to interview Osama bin Laden, who has spoken with Fisk on three different occasions.) Fisk is a man with very strong opinions about the nature of covering war, especially the way it's been reported in recent years, and this CD release preserves a lecture from Fisk in which he talks about his experiences as a journalist, the political and practical realities of covering the violence in the Middle East, and the symbiotic relationship between war and the press. Fisk is a commanding and charismatic speaker who talks with a bold authority about his experiences and what they've taught him, and he maintains a sense of compassion as he speaks of the strange and often horrifying facts of modern warfare. This disc also features an interview with Fisk conducted by David Barsamain, which focuses on Lebanon in the wake of the then-recent murder of Rafik Hariri; this discussion is drier and less immediate than the lecture, but Fisk's steely intelligence remains impressive. Fisk is the sort of committed and well-informed journalist who is becoming increasingly rare in the era of corporate media, and this is a thoughtful and absorbing look at the issues in the Middle East as well as the way they've been portrayed in the international press."- All Music Guide